Prolific New York designer Karim Rashid, the creator of whimsical interiors, objects, lighting, and packaging for companies such as Alessi, Umbra, Christofle, and Artemide, lived in Milan in the 1980s and he returns regularly for the Salone. “I have always loved Milan,” says Rashid. “It’s small but cultured, intimate yet global—the quintessential city that combines commerce and artistic pursuit. Just walking the streets is inspiring.” The designer’s choice for lodging is the Nhow Hotel (35 via Tortona; 011-39-02-489-8861; nh-hotels.com), a former power plant with colorful, quirky interiors by Matteo Thun. “You can always find me drinking a cappuccino with clients at the bar,” says Rashid, who designed the Nhow Hotel in Berlin. Other regular spots include Noon (4 via G. Boccaccio; 011-39-02-4802-4607; noonmilano.com) for its Mediterranean cuisine, and Café Trussardi, overlooking La Scala opera house (5 Piazza della Scala; 011-39-02-8068-8201), for cocktails.

Shown: The lobby of the Nhow Hotel, designed by Matteo Thun.

Photo: Marcello Muscolino

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Vincent Van Duysen

Antwerp-based architect and designer Vincent Van Duysen also lived in Milan in the ’80s. He’s an ardent but sensual minimalist, so it’s fitting that one of his favorite places in Milan is Villa Necchi Campiglio (14 via Mozart; 011-39-02-7634-0121; casemuseo.it), a 1930s house by architect Piero Portaluppi (now a museum) that was prominently featured in the 2010 film I Am Love, starring Tilda Swinton. “It’s a beautiful example of Milanese modernism,” says Van Duysen, who favors a corner room at the Park Hyatt (1 via Tommaso Grossi; 011-39-02-8821-1234; milan.park.hyatt.com), overlooking the glass-topped 19th-century Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. He also likes to take strolls through I Navigli, the old canal district. For meals, he enjoys the stellar seafood at both Osteria La Risacca 6 (6 via Marcona; 011-39-02-5518-1658; larisacca6.it) and Bebel’s Ristorante in the artist-filled Brera district (38 via San Marco; 011-39-02-657-1658). Van Duysen adds that “Bebel’s has an amazing Puntarelle,” the typically Roman dish made with chicory and anchovies.

At age 80, Rosita Missoni, the matriarch of the famous Milan fashion family, is as busy as ever. She still heads Missoni Home, launched in 2004, and oversees the interior design of Hotel Missoni properties, including upcoming locations in Oman, Brazil, and Turkey. To shop for furniture and objects from other design houses, Missoni heads to Skitsch (11 via Monte di Pietà; 011-39-02-3663-3065; skitsch.it) and Driade, which is on the ground floor of the 18th-century Palazzo Gallarati Scotti (30 via Manzoni; 011-39-02-7602-3098; driade.it). She also frequents Spazio Rossana Orlandi, housed in an old factory (14/16 via Matteo Bandello; 011-39-02-467-4471; rossanaorlandi.com). “It has wonderful spaces and a mixture of design objects, as well as art exhibitions,” Missoni says. Next door is Pane e Acqua (011-39-02-4819-8622; paneacqua.com), a stylish restaurant decorated by Paola Navone “with a great sense of humor,” as Missoni describes it. “The food is simple and nice, but the interesting thing is that guests can buy anything in the restaurant, from furniture to objects and tableware.” She also recommends the Ristorante Giacomo Arengario (6 via Pasquale Sottocorno; 011-39-02-7602-3313; giacomoarengario.com) atop the Museo del Novecento, with a wonderful view of the Duomo. And Missoni indulges her sweet tooth at the new Brera shop of Guido Gobino, a master chocolatier from Turin (39 Corso Giuseppi Garibaldi; 011-39-02-8909-6601; guidogobino.it).

Shown: The design shop Driade, on the ground floor of the 18th-century Palazzo Gallarati Scotti.

Photo: Chris Tsang

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Johanna Grawunder

American-born architect and designer Johanna Grawunder spent more than a decade as a partner in the Milan studio of legendary Memphis designer Ettore Sottsass. These days she shuttles between her studios in San Francisco and Milan, working on architecture, lighting, and installations (including pieces for a show at the Paris branch of Carpenters Workshop Gallery, May 26 to July 21). When in Milan, Grawunder still enjoys the legendary Bar Basso (39 via Plinio; 011-39-02-2940-0580; barbasso.com), home to the Prosecco-infused Negroni Sbagliato. “The usual suspects are always there, but not until very late at night,” says Grawunder. She often has breakfast at Radetzky (105 Corso Garibaldi; 011-39-02-657-2645; radetzkycafe.com), a design-world favorite. And for a peaceful walk or a brisk jog, Grawunder heads to centrally located Parco Sempione, bordered by the Sforza Castle and the Arch of Peace. “It’s the perfect refuge, but so close to everything. Also, I rarely run into people I know there, which is an added bonus.”

Shown: A view of the Arch of Peace from inside the Parco Sempione.

Photo: Ian Homer/Alamy

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Jeffrey Bernett

Furniture designer Jeffrey Bernett, the founder of the multidisciplinary Manhattan design firm CDS, knows Milan well from working collaborations with furniture giants Cappellini, Boffi, B&B Italia, and others. When in town, Bernett visits the Studio Museo Achille Castiglioni (27 Piazza Castello; 011-39-02-805-3606; achillecastiglioni.it), the workshop of one of Italy’s greatest postwar designers, which is filled with Castiglioni’s drawings, prototypes, and collections of design objects. “Family members often give the tours,” says Bernett. “It’s an amazing space and always inspirational.” Another favorite is the venerable shop G. Lorenzi (9 via Montenapoleone; 011-39-02-7602-2848; lorenzi.it), founded in 1929. Its wall-to-wall vitrines are filled with remarkable handcrafted knives, cigar cutters, lighters, shaving implements, and other gentlemanly accoutrements. For lunch, Bernett adores the colorful trattoria Bagutta (14 via Bagutta; 011-39-02-7600-2767; bagutta.it), a Milanese institution founded in 1924 that has a long association with the city’s artistic and literary worlds.

Miami architect Rene Gonzalez has traveled to the Milan Furniture Fair for the past dozen years, as much to see the latest design trends as to soak up inspiration from the city. After a trip to see masterworks such as Piero della Francesca’s 15th-century painting The Brera Madonna in the Pinacoteca di Brera (28 via Brera; 011-39-02-7226-3264; brera.beniculturali.it), he recommends dropping by Madonna, a small, admittedly obscure bar a short walk away on via Madonnina. “I nicknamed it the Peter Pan Bar,” jokes Gonzalez, “because the bar area is elevated above the lounge section, which has a glow-in-the-dark city ‘roofscape’ painted on the wall. As the night goes by, and of course the more you drink, you can imagine yourself flying over the buildings, like Peter Pan. It’s a not-to-be-missed architectural experience.”

Shown: The Brera Madonna, a work by the 15th-century painter Piero della Francesca, displayed at the Pinacoteca di Brera.

Photo: Pinacoteca di Brera

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Ilse Crawford

London-based interior and product designer Ilse Crawford is no stranger to the whirl surrounding the Salone. But she also knows where to find quiet escapes. “The secret gardens of Milan are always a place to see another side of the city, away from all the hubbub,” Crawford says. She especially loves the little garden of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the 15th-century church and convent that houses Leonardo’s Last Supper (2 Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie; grazieop.it). Crawford also admires the “beautiful wisteria-covered back garden” of the Sheraton Diana Majestic hotel (42 Viale Piave; 011-39-02-20-581; sheratondianamajestic.com), which she describes as “perfect for morning assignations, when it’s usually pretty quiet.”